Where There's a Will, There's a Way
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: (Set after season two.) With Ciel and Sebastian gone, there is nothing left for the Phantomhive servants to do but move on. Many years later, Finny and Mey-Rin get married, and then find out that they are having a baby. However, Finny's superhuman strength will prove to be an issue. Will he ever be able to hold his child without crushing it? UNFINISHED - CHAPTER THREE IS UP!
1. Big News

After Ciel and Sebastian left the Phantomhive Manor, never to return, the servants followed suit and abandoned the mansion as well. It was painful and involved many tears, but all three of them knew that there was no way they could continue living there. First of all, they were nearly broke, even with all their pitiful savings put together. And secondly, it was the _Phantomhive Manor. _Living there would bring back too many memories of their old life, with Ciel and Sebastian and Pluto, before everything had fallen to hell. They needed to move on, and living in the same place would be a hinderance.

So they bid farewell to the place they had called home for years and headed off, all together. Bard, however, parted ways from the other two. "I need some time to be by myself, alright?" he told them.

Finny was distraught when Bard left. "I thought Bard was my friend." he said plaintively to Mey-Rin one day.

"He was. He still is." replied the maid. Bard's departure had rocked her too, but she knew she had to be strong- if not for herself, for Finny's sake. "It's been a hard few months for all of us, yes it has."

Finny looked back at her with wide, turquoise eyes. "Are you going to leave, as well?" he asked. "Promise me you won't leave. Please, promise." She couldn't leave; she just _couldn't. _She was everything to him, and they'd been through so much together. Finny didn't know how he'd cope without her.

The thought had never even crossed her mind. "I promise." she told him, flashing a half-hearted- but still caring- smile. Her smile was warm, and it filled Finny up with sunshine. He felt a familiar stirring inside of him, a feeling that he felt whenever he looked at her.

And so the maid and the gardener stuck together. They found a cheap little apartment in London where they decided to start their new life. Finny got a low-paying job in a nearby factory, and Mey-Rin became a waitress in a café not too far away. Neither of them talked of Bard, or the young earl, or the strange, inhuman butler that seemed to take all of their duties and do them ten times better.

Years passed before Finny and Mey-Rin realized that what they felt for each other was not just friendship. Even more years passed. They got married.

And then, not long after that, _it_ happened.

Finny came home from the factory late one night, brushing dust from his strawberry-blonde hair. "Mey-Rin?" he called out, taking off his coat and hanging it up by the door. "I'm home!"

He heard a loud gasp from the kitchen. "Finny!" she exclaimed, running out to greet him. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her midsection, and there was a huge grin on her face.

Finny took one look at her happy expression and broke out into a smile himself. "Why are you so happy?" he asked curiously.

"I have some big news for you, yes I do!" Mey-Rin said proudly.

"Really? What is it?"

Mey-Rin reached out and took his hands. "Finny, I… I'm pregnant."

His turquoise eyes widened. "Really? Are you serious? Oh, Mey-Rin, you're going to be a mum!"

"And you're going to be a dad!"

"I am? I am!" Finny's hands flew to his head and he ran his fingers through his fair hair, an incredulous look on his face. "Wow! We're going to have a little _baby! _How long have you known about this?"

"I suspected it about a month ago." Mey-Rin told him. "And I went to the doctor this morning while you were at work, yes I did! I'm four months pregnant!"

"So… in five months we're going to be _parents!_" gasped Finny.

The magenta-haired woman nodded, beaming. "That's right."

xXx

That night, Mey-Rin woke up to the sound of muffled crying. _Finny, _she thought immediately, sitting up in bed and groping around for her glasses on her bedside table. The sound brought her back; when they had first left the Manor, he had cried nearly every night. But it had been so long since she'd heard him cry…

"Finny?" she called out, finally finding her glasses and getting out of bed.

She found him curled up on the couch, his knees up to his chin. There was a large suitcase beside him. It was half-full, with clothes spilling out of it. "Oh… did I wake you up?" Finny asked tentatively. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize!" Mey-Rin said, sitting down next to him and putting an arm around him. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…" Finny wiped his eyes, carefully avoiding her gaze. "I'm so happy that you're pregnant, Mey-Rin, and I really, _really _want to be a dad… but I don't think I can. So I'm leaving." He patted the suitcase.

"Finny, stop." Mey-Rin leaned over and took his hand away from the suitcase, squeezing it in her own. "You're going to be a _great _dad, yes you are! I don't see how you would think you won't. You're kind, and gentle, and-"

"Gentle _mentally, _maybe!" Finny cried, pulling his hands away from her. "But… Mey-Rin, I… I'm too strong. You know I am. If I try to hold a baby, I'll… I'll _crush _it!" He doubled over as a fresh wave of tears overcame him. "I d-don't want to k-k-kill my own ch-child!"

Mey-Rin gasped. In her euphoric haze over finding out that she was going to have a baby, and over realizing that she had the sweetest man to be the child's father, she hadn't thought about Finny's superhuman strength. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. "Oh my God." she whispered, feeling as if all of the happiness she had felt before had just been sucked out of her.

"So I… I have to leave." Finny finished. He stuffed the escaping clothes back into the suitcase and began to close it.

"No… Finny, you aren't going to leave." Mey-Rin told him. "It's okay." She reached out and gave his strawberry-blonde hair a comforting stroke. "Don't cry, please. I love you. And our baby will, too."

He stared back at her, his lower lip trembling slightly. "You don't know that, Mey-Rin. I won't be able to hold him or her… and they'll hate me."

"No. Finny, we can work this all out." Mey-Rin said again. "Just put away the suitcase and come back to bed."

"We _can't _work it out… Mey-Rin, there's just no way to-"

"Finny." she began gently, taking his hands again. "Do you _want _to be a father, and to hold your son or daughter?"

Finny stared back at her with huge eyes. "Yes, of _course _I do! I want that more than anything! But I-"

"Then it's possible." she went on. "Where there's a will, there's a way. I told you, we're going to work this out."

A shaky smile made its way across his face. "Oh, Mey-Rin…"

Mey-Rin leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Come on, let's go back to sleep now. I'm tired, yes I am!"

"Okay." Finny picked up the suitcase and followed Mey-Rin back into their bedroom. They climbed back into bed.

"Goodnight." whispered Mey-Rin, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight." replied Finny softly.

Though Mey-Rin fell back to sleep not long after that, Finny couldn't seem to do the same. He studied the stars outside the window, and watched the shadows creep around the room in the moonlight. Under the covers, Finny reached over and touched Mey-Rin's stomach. It was already getting large. He sighed contentedly at the thought of having a child to call his own.

_Mey-Rin's right, _he thought. _I can do this._

He had already managed to control his strength enough so that he could hold Mey-Rin's hand. Yes, babies were much more fragile, but Finny knew that he could do it.

Love made everything possible, anyway. And, as his wife had said… where there's a will, there's a way.


	2. Screw-Up

One quiet Saturday afternoon, Mey-Rin returned from the market carrying two large paper bags, both full to the brim. Finny rushed to the door as soon as he saw her coming. "Mey-Rin!" he exclaimed. "You shouldn't be carrying such heavy things, especially not while you're pregnant!" He took the bags from her easily and peered inside. To his surprise, they were both full of watermelons.

"I had a great idea, yes I did!" Mey-Rin informed him, brushing her magenta hair out of her eyes.

"Does that idea have to do with all these watermelons?" asked Finny, putting the bags down on the floor and helping her take her coat off.

She nodded. "Yes. You can practice being gentle by pretending a watermelon is our baby. You can hold it and be really careful, and if we practice it a lot, you can be ready for when you get to hold the real baby!"

"Oh, I get it!" A grin spread across his face. "That's really smart, Mey-Rin!"

She beamed. "Thanks, Finny. I'd rather not get the apartment dirty if you _do _crush one, so why don't we go outside and try it?"

"Sounds good." said Finny. "I'll bring the bags out, alright?" He picked them up again. Mey-Rin opened the door, and they headed outside.

Once they were out of their building, they went into a nearby field. Finny placed the bags on the ground, and Mey-Rin retrieved a watermelon.

"Okay," she began. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Finny chirped.

The pink-haired woman held out the large fruit to her husband. Finny reached over and took it from her. As soon as he did, however, there was a loud _splat _sound, and his hands went right through the watermelon. Thick, pink juice dripped from his hands, forming a puddle at his feet. Finny dropped the mangled green watermelon, looking dismayed.

"That's alright." Mey-Rin told him, although she felt faint, imagining that that watermelon had been an innocent little baby- _her _innocent little baby. "It was only your first try, yes it was! And you were excited. Don't worry; we can just do it again."

The blonde man's face was pale. "I… I crushed-"

"Let's try again." Mey-Rin repeated, before he could finish. She fished out another watermelon. "Here you are, Finny."

Finny took it with shaking hands. "Mey-Rin, I don't know if-" His words were drowned out as his hands smashed through the hard, green skin, and watermelon juice exploded everywhere once more. Mey-Rin winced as it splattered all over the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Finny cried, throwing the watermelon aside as if it was hot to the touch. Tears poured down his pallid cheeks, and he bowed his head, looking ashamed.

"It's not your fault." said Mey-Rin, although the combination of her stress and seeing Finny cry made tears run down her own face. She wiped them away before he could see and wrapped her arms around him. "You didn't choose to be so strong."

Years ago, back when they were still working at the Phantomhive Manor, Finny had confided in Mey-Rin and Bard what had happened to him as a child. He had been tested on by scientists, confined and neglected, and as a result of the drug they injected him with, he gained superhuman strength. The whole thing had made Mey-Rin very angry. Testing on humans was despicable on its own- but on a young boy? She could hardly believe it. And now, many years later, it still sickened her, even more now that it was becoming such a complication for her and Finny becoming parents.

Finny's hands on her back were wet and sticky with watermelon juice, but Mey-Rin didn't care. "Shh." she murmured soothingly as he sobbed. "We still have more watermelons, yes we do! We can just try again."

"We m-may have more w-watermelons, but we'll only have one b-baby!" Finny whimpered. "I… I can't do this. I love you, Mey-Rin, but I have to leave…" He pulled back from her, staring at the juice-covered ground under their feet.

"Finny, don't say things like that." Mey-Rin said. "You're not going anywhere, no you aren't! We can just practice some more, I know you'll be able to do it eventually."

"You… You think so…?"

"Yes, I do! And… let's just _say _you couldn't hold the child." Mey-Rin continued. "I know it would be hard… but it wouldn't be forever, no it wouldn't! Children get older, and stronger… you'd be able to hold them then."

The blonde ex-gardener nodded, sniffling. "I… I guess you're right. Thanks, Mey-Rin… you're being so good about all this… I mean, you could be getting mad because I'm such a… a _screw-up_…"

"You're not a screw-up, Finny." Mey-Rin told him lightly. "You're just… _different. _And that's okay. Now, wipe your eyes and we can try another watermelon. Okay?"

"Okay." Finny did as she said, and then wiped his juice-covered hands on his pants. "I'm ready now."

"Alright." Mey-Rin leaned down and picked out another watermelon. "Careful now, Finny. Pretend it's a baby. Our baby." She held it out to him and smiled warmly. "I believe in you."

Her words filled him with confidence. Finny reached out and took it from her, relaxing his trembling hands so that they were as gentle as possible. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to watch.

A few moments passed, and then Mey-Rin exclaimed, "Finny, look, you've done it!"

"I… I have?" Finny opened his eyes tentatively. To his amazement, he found that he was cradling the watermelon, which was fully intact. "I have!" he added in awe. In his excitement, he squeezed the fruit, and- _splat. _Once more, Finny's hands were dripping with watermelon juice. He and Mey-Rin both stared at it, eyes wide. And then, as if rehearsed, they both started laughing.

"That didn't work very well." Finny giggled, wiping his hands off again. "But I had it for a little bit there."

"I knew you could do it." Mey-Rin replied, beaming.

Finny sighed contentedly. "I _can _do it." he said to no one in particular, staring down at the watermelon's remains in his hands. "I _can._"


	3. He Who Called the Garden His Home

A few days after Finny and Mey-Rin had practiced with the bags of watermelons, they were sitting around their little table, eating some soup.

"You know what we haven't really thought about yet?" asked Mey-Rin suddenly, dipping her spoon into her bowl.

"What?"

"Baby names." replied the magenta-haired woman. "What are we going to name our child?"

"Hmm. I never thought about that before!" admitted Finny, staring at his own spoon thoughtfully. "Do _you_ have any ideas, Mey-Rin?"

A smile spread across her face. "I say if it's a boy, we should name him Finny Jr, because his father is so _brave._"

Finny went pink. "That's so sweet!" he gushed. "…Hm… I have an idea, too, but I don't know if you'll like it or not…"

"I'm sure I will."

"Okay…" Finny took a deep breath. "What about… for a boy… Ciel?"

Mey-Rin gasped, and nearly choked on her soup. "Finny!" she exclaimed almost accusatorially. It had been years since she'd heard that name, but it still brought back a rush of emotion.

"I'm sorry." Finny said, sounding guilty. "I… I just thought… you know, it would be a nice way to remember the young master…"

"I know what you mean." Mey-Rin sighed. "But… I don't want to think about the young master every time I look at our child… I don't want to think about how he and Mister Sebastian left us all alone…"

Finny frowned. "But they didn't leave us _all _alone, Mey-Rin. We had each other. You… me… and Bard."

"Bard." Mey-Rin echoed wistfully. She remembered the cook well, and fondly- tall and brash, always carrying a cigarette. Whether said cigarette was lit or not was completely up to chance. Mey-Rin had loved him, just as she had loved Finny, and the young master, and Sebastian. They were like the family she'd never had- and, for the most part, never wanted. Isolated by her job of killing people, Mey-Rin had been somewhat of a lone wolf before she began working at the Phantomhive Manor. Friendship had seemed like a waste of time to her. What was the point of making friends if there was always a chance she'd have to kill them later? Besides, no one wanted to be friends with someone who killed people on a daily basis. She had seemed immoral in their eyes, primitive yet prestigious.

And then, something strange happened when she began working at the Phantomhive Manor. She met Bard and Finny, two people whose pasts were as screwed up as hers, two people who had also killed others. They never thought badly of her, or what she'd done because they'd both done terrible things as well. And they became her _friends. _

"What about Bard, then?" suggested Finny, bringing the maid out of her thoughts. "For a boy, I mean."

"I don't know." Mey-Rin sighed. "I just… I don't want to name our child after someone we once knew. For example, if we named our son Bardroy. As the years passed, we'd hear the name 'Bard' and think of our son, not of the real Bard. Our memories of Bard would be replaced with memories of our son. And I… I don't want to forget anything…" To her dismay, she found tears in her eyes. The ex-maid was thankful for her thick glasses, which hid the fact that she was crying from her husband.

Finny stared at the ground. "I guess you're right… I'll try to think of new names."

"Thank you, Finny." She wiped her eyes discreetly, passing the action off as adjusting her glasses. "I… I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? You were _right._" He leaned forward and took her hands into his own. "_I'm_ sorry. I didn't realize how you'd feel about this."

"How could you, though?" Mey-Rin frowned bitterly. "I-I'm being irrational, yes I am. But that's enough of that." She tried to smile. "Let's think of some more names, alright? What about if we had a girl?"

"Hmm." Finny murmured thoughtfully. "…Well, what about naming our daughter after a flower? I _loooove_ flowers!"

Mey-Rin nodded, her fake, shaking smile replaced with a warm, genuine one at Finny's words. She knew that, as a child, he had never been allowed to go outside. When they worked at the Phantomhive Manor, Finny had spent most of his time among the trees and flowers and the little animals that called the garden their home, just like he did. On many, _many_ occasions, the sweet gardener had gotten up early to pick as many flowers as he could carry, just to go around the Phantomhive Manor putting them on every empty shelf he could see, and give them to all of the mansion's inhabitants. Mey-Rin had kept every single flower he'd given her in a little glass vase beside her bed. Over the years, the older flowers had shrivelled up and she'd had to throw them out, but Finny was always giving her new ones, so it hardly mattered. The vase had always been full.

"I think that would be nice, yes it would." Mey-Rin replied softly. "What kind of flowers do you think would sound nice?"

"All of them would, I think, but… well, Daisy is a nice name." Finny told her. "And Lily, too. Ooh, Violet and Petunia as well. I know a bunch of flowers 'cause I always used to plant them, so this is gonna be fun! What about Poppy? Oh, or Marigold… I like that."

"Marigold is nice." agreed Mey-Rin. "I like Daisy, too, yes I do!"

Finny was beaming from ear to ear, his face lit up like the warm afternoon sunlight spilling out into the room. "Oh, Mey-Rin, I really hope we have a little girl." he said. "If she looks anything like you, she's gonna be so beautiful!"

The magenta-haired woman found herself turning as pink as her hair. "Finny, you're too kind!" she replied. "You know what? You choose the name. I'm sure I'll like whatever you choose."

"Really? Thanks!" Finny exclaimed. "Okay, I'm going to say… Marigold for a girl!"  
"I like that." Mey-Rin said warmly. "What about if we have a boy?"

"It's gonna be a girl. I can just _feel _it." replied Finny confidently.

She giggled. "Oh, you can, can you?"

The blonde man nodded. "Mm-hmm. I just know somehow."

"Alright." Mey-Rin laughed. "I believe you." She lay a hand on her stomach and sighed. "Little Marigold."

Finny smiled, and placed his hand on top of hers. "She's gonna be the best baby ever. And we're gonna be the best parents ever, too!"

Mey-Rin nodded. She was glad that he had included himself in that as well, and not just said that she was going to be the best mother ever. It meant that deep down, he was starting to believe in himself.

_I hope you'll be able to hold her, _the ex-maid thought. _For your sake… for our child's sake… and for the sake of our little family._


End file.
